


The Lost Human Returns

by milkfr0g



Series: RGB and Those In-Between [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lost Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-18 16:09:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5934595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkfr0g/pseuds/milkfr0g
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frisk wailed. Even if it was a hideous demon, that flower, Flowey, had still been a living being, and they'd murdered him in cold blood. They weren't any better than him at this point. Regret jabbed at their mind. What did they do wrong? What could they have done that was different?</p><p>When Frisk forces a RESET that teleports them outside of the barrier, they still find themself climbing Mt. Ebott 10 years later. But with a powerful entity fighting for control at the back of their mind, how long can they maintain their newfound happiness?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fallen Down

**Author's Note:**

> Took the rating down to Teen.

Here they were. After all Frisk had done, all they'd gone through, everything still went wrong in the end. Even after being forced to fight their way through the king of all monsters and winning, they were never going to see a happy ending. Instead all they would see was this hideous monster. This amalgamation of thorny vines, eyes, and teeth. A television screen displayed its cartoonish face, with red eyes and crooked teeth. Occasionally the screen would switch to static and screams. They would witness it kill them a million times before it got bored. And what if it never got bored?  Over and over they kept apologizing.  
    

( _I'm sorry, Asgore. I'm sorry Toriel. I'm so sorry_ ), they thought to themself as tears streamed down their face. ( _I'm sorry Sans, Papyrus. I'm sorry Undyne. I'm sorry Alphys. Everyone, I'm so sorry!_ ) Frisk opened their eyes to face their opponent once more, prepared to fight with nothing but a rusty dagger. But the stolen souls glowed within him, and soon they suddenly burst free from the thorny vines that surrounded everything. They swirled around in rainbow flashes at amazing speeds. Everything strobed and shook violently. A suffocating pressure filled the air. It felt like the entire world was ending.  
  
    But it refused.

The light faded, and everyone was gone. All that remained was that golden flower that called itself Flowey. Frisk glared down at it, injured but still standing as much as flowers can stand around. They gritted their teeth and tears streamed down their face more than they had during the battle. They thought of Asgore, and how this flower ripped the life from of him at his weakest moment. How it told them "Thanks, you really did a number on that old fool for me." Gripping the rusty dagger in their hand, they approached the flower. This thing, though it spoke to them, wasn't sentient. Nothing with a soul could destroy the world like this flower wanted to. They fell to their knees in front of the flower. It had a few tatters, but nothing too serious. It's power had already been stripped away, so there was no reason to destroy it. But the hatred welled up inside of them. Frisk raised the dagger above their head and, while screaming, brought it down on its hideous face. Over and over again they struck it, screaming and crying. Petals fell to the ground and thorns cut their hands. Eventually they stopped. Out of breath they fell to their back, dropping the dagger.  
    

Then, they wailed. Even if it was a hideous demon, that flower, Flowey, had still been a living being. They weren't any better than him at this point. Regret jabbed at their mind. What did they do wrong? What could they have done that was different? Only one option remained.  
    

( _I can give myself another chance. I have the same power he did, don't I?_ ) Frisk imagined it. The word RESET. They imagined it appearing in front of them, and it did. They held out their hand and weakly pressed with bloodied fingertips.  
    

And then they awoke on the side of the mountain. They sat up and rubbed their aching head, wondering how they got there. About a hundred feet away they saw a large hole in the ground surrounded by thorny vines. They winced at the sight of them. The sky was turning orange as the sun set. Frisk shielded their eyes from the light and headed toward the city.

* * *

 

Frisk rubbed the paper note between their fingers as they took their time walking to the high school dean's office. Being summoned like this had become a regular occurrence. Whatever the school could do to make their life more difficult, they did. They were having trouble in their classes? Gotta make sure they miss more class time. They gritted their teeth together as they used the entirety of their tiny frame to push open the door.  
    

"I've been expecting you, Frisk, please have a seat in my office." The head dean motioned toward an open door on the left. Frisk made their way to the office, flopped their backpack on the floor, and sat down. They jumped slightly when the door nearly slammed behind them as the dean entered the room. "Now the semester is wrapping up and, well," the dean shuffled through a small stack of papers, "it doesn't look good for you. Your grades are low and your attendance is abysmal. I keep telling you to bring me sick notes, but you never do. At this rate you're going to end up repeating another year. Look, Frisk, we can't keep you in high school forever. You're almost twenty years old. Don't you miss your friends who've graduated?"  
    

Frisk's entire body tensed up at the question. When was the last time they'd even had friends? They thought maybe there were some older kids they knew growing up, but they couldn't remember anything from before high school at all. Couldn't remember anything before...Frisk scratched at their forearms.  
    

"Frisk, are you listening to me?" the dean interrogated.  
    

(Sorry), Frisk signed. (I'll try harder, and-)  
    

"Don't wave your hands at me, child, speak up."  
    

(But I), Frisk began to shake as they continued to sign. The dean stared them down. It was always like this. Even after so many years, the woman never bothered to learn to read their signing. They tried to speak, but they were so terrified they only let out a squeak.  
    

"Young lady I don't like your mannerisms! I am trying to help you! Now talk to me, Frisk!"  
    

Suddenly, Frisk stopped shaking. Their eyes glazed over and they let out a deep sigh. They didn't have to be here. They stood up, picked up their backpack, and left with the dean still yelling after them. They ran out of the building, ran out of the school. The dean was right, they couldn't keep them there forever.  
    

Before they knew it, even through the bitter cold of autumn, they'd taken a bus out of town and found themself hiking up to Mt. Ebott. _Travelers who hike the mountain never come back._ They had come by that legend in an old library book once. If it was true, Frisk wondered where they would end up. Anywhere had to be better than where they currently were. It had to be better than an isolated life, mocked by their peers and even the imposters the province called their 'parents'. They made their way through overgrown trails covered in dead leaves and thick vines. The sun was high in the sky, but it was cold enough they could still see their breath upon exhaling.  
    

While spinning, giggling, and trying to make rings with their breath, Frisk had somehow made their way into a cave, tripped and fell. Desperately, they reached out to grab some vines, but they missed and went tumbling down a large hole. They landed hard on a patch of golden flowers. Trying to catch their breath, they looked around at their surroundings. The hole was several hundred feet above them. They rubbed their head and stared down at the flowers. They thought to themself that they happened to grow in an awfully convenient place.  
    

( _What now?_ ) Frisk thought. They wrapped their arms around themself and shivered. Then they felt it. Somehow a frigid chill manifested in the already cold air. Someone else was there with them.  
    

"Howdy!" a cheerful voice greeted. Frisk slowly turned around. One of the flowers had a face and was speaking to them! "I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower! You're new to the underground, aren'tcha?" They couldn't believe it. They scrambled to their feet and ran away from the flower as fast as they could. "Hey! Where are you goin' buddy?" it called after them, but they kept running until they slammed into something.  
    

"Oh, my! I'm sorry!" said a calm, nurturing voice. Frisk spun around to look behind themself. The flower was gone. They then turned back and looked up to see a tall, female monster covered in white fur with a long snout.  
    

"T-Toriel..." Frisk managed to choke out hoarsely.  
    

"What? How do you know my name?"  
    

"Toriel!" they yelled, and began to cry as they embraced the confused monster. Their memories where starting to flood back. This was Toriel. Toriel who took care of them when they fell before. Toriel who loved to read and catch snails and who wanted to be a teacher. Finally, Frisk was home.

***

"So you were here several years ago? I believe you, but I'm not sure I understand," Toriel sighed. Frisk shook their head. It was the second morning since they had fallen into the underground.  
    

(It's fine), they signed. (I don't understand either. I have these memories of my childhood down here, but it's like none of it ever happened). They looked down at their half-eaten breakfast.  
    

"Nobody's fallen down here in over a decade. I can't imagine you were ever down here and then managed to leave. You could not have made it past Asgore." Toriel clenched and unclenched her paws nervously. "Even then you would have needed a monster with you to cross the barrier. This whole situation just doesn't make any sense," she rambled. "However, that's all in the past. Let's focus on now. You can stay here as long as you want, and-"  
    

(I have to find the others), Frisk interrupted.  
    

"Others?"  
    

(My friends. I know they're here somewhere in the underground. My memories are just fuzzy, but if I leave the ruins I can find them).  
    

"No, Frisk." Toriel objected. "It's too dangerous to leave the ruins. I don't care if you said you did it before, there's no way I can let you go. You'll be killed just like the others were."  
    

"I-I have to...find them," Frisk whispered meekly.  
    

"My child, I know you want to remember, but I think you should give it some time."  
    

"Mom!" Frisk shouted. "I'm not a kid anymore! Please let me do this!" Toriel's eyes widened, as Frisked rushed to cover their own mouth. The words they shouted, the emotions they felt -- they weren't sure that they were their own.  
    

"Did you just...call me Mom? I mean, if that will make you happy-" Frisk didn't let her finish. They jumped up from the table and ran to their room.  
    

( _Why did I say that?!_ ) they thought to themself. ( _That wasn't me! Toriel doesn't even remember me! Why'd I just go and say something stupid like that?!_ ) They shut the door to their room quietly and curled up under the quilt on the bed. Breathing deeply to calm themself, they managed to reach a state of of quiet stillness, though it wasn't too long before Toriel entered the room.  
    

"I may not understand what you're going through," Toriel sat on the bed, "but I want to help you." She rubbed Frisk's back. "If you absolutely need to go, I won't stop you. I just want you to be safe." Frisk shot up and wrapped their arms around Toriel, crying. "It's okay, my child," she reassured. "If you ever need me, I'll be here."  
  
    

Later that day, Toriel had everything set up for Frisk to begin their journey. A backpack with a map, bandaids, bottled water, a couple of snail sandwiches, and a chocolate bar. She assured Frisk that it would be enough to get themself to Snowdin Town, which wasn't terribly far away. In addition to the supplies, she also gave them an old-looking cell phone with her number already in the contacts.  
    

(Thank you so much), Frisk signed. (I'll definitely be back). Toriel nodded in response.  
    

"Now get going, you don't want to keep your friends waiting." Frisk smiled and gave her one last hug before stepping out of the door that separated the Ruins and the rest of the underground.

Another journey was beginning for them.

This time would be different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't actually have any idea what I'm doing or what kind of tags to put, so if anyone has constructive criticism or suggestions I would love to know please!


	2. Familiarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uploading this a lot earlier than I planned to, because why not?

Snow crunched under Frisk's boots as they walked. They wondered how it could even snow underground. It was certainly colder down there without sunshine than the surface, but what made it snow? Maybe it was magic. Forgetting about the technicalities, they strolled along for about an hour, occasionally twirling and attempting to make rings out of their breath as they liked to do. They giggled as they dizzied themself and fell to the ground in front of a short bridge. For some reason, Frisk felt as if they needed to wait there. They made a some snowballs and began to stack them up like a pyramid.  
  
Another hour later, the feeling from a few days before returned. Someone else was there. The air had suddenly become colder than the snow in their hands. A feeling of dread invaded their thoughts. The dread soon manifested into words.  
  
**_fight...or..he'll...kill..._**  
  
Frisk grabbed their head. These weren't their thoughts. Where was this coming from? A branch snapped behind them.  
      
  
_(No, no, no! I just have to calm down)_. They took a deep breath, then exhaled. They told themself that it was okay, that there was no reason to fight.  
  
  
_**I warned you.**_  
  
  
Frisk spun around. They looked up to see a wide-set skeleton, shorter than themself if they'd been standing. The skeleton was wearing a blue jacket and had a huge grin plastered on his face, though, they could tell he was shocked to see them.      
      
  
"Human," he said in a deep, threatening voice, "what brings you here?"  
      
  
"S-Sans?" Frisk stuttered. The skeleton's left eye socket flickered blue, but only for a moment.  
      
  
"You know my name? That's pretty weird," he remarked. "Guess I don't have to introduce myself then. You got a name?"  
      
  
(Frisk), they signed to him.  
      
  
"Frisk, huh? Ice to meetcha, Frisk," Sans joked while helping them back to their feet. When standing, he barely came up to their shoulder.  
     
  
"SANS!" a voice called angrily from the distance. The skeleton's eye flickered blue again, this time remaining. He was visibly tense. Frisk turned toward the direction of the voice. Another, much taller skeleton came running across the bridge, a red scarf trailing in the wind behind him. "You lazybones! What the heck did you run off for?!" he nagged. Sans gripped the sleeve of Frisk's sweater tightly from behind. They glanced down to see blue light in his eye had disappeared once more.  
      
  
"I'm uh...patrolling?" he shrugged. Frisk stuttered and shook at the sight of the taller skeleton. They couldn't hold back the stream of tears that suddenly flooded forth when they recognized their old friend standing before them, alive and well. Disturbing images plagued their memory of him. They knew he was one of their dearest friends. So why?  
  
_(Why have I seen him die?)_  
  
Sans let go of their sweater as they fell to their knees.  
      
  
"What's going on? Are they okay?"  
      
  
"Looks like your overbearing personality chilled them to the bone, bro." Frisk, though crying, still giggled at his joke.  
      
  
"Sans! Now is not the time for your insufferable humour! Don't worry, friend! The Great Papyrus will make everything all right!" Papyrus held out his gloved hand toward Frisk. They took hold of his hand without hesitation, and he helped lift them to their feet. Though as soon as he was about to let go, they felt weak in the knees and tripped over themself. He caught them as they fell forward.  
      
  
"S-sorry," Frisk murmured.  
      
  
"Oh no, that's all right! If you can't walk, then the Great Papyrus shall carry you!" He bent down and swooped up their legs as they wrapped their arms around his neck for support. "Comfortable?" They nodded. Papyrus smiled back and the three of them moved forward. "What's your name?"  
      
  
"Frisk."  
      
  
"Nice to meet you, Frisk! I am the Great Papyrus!" he declared.  
      
  
"I think you told them that already, bro," Sans pointed out while waving to a dog sentry. The dog waved back, displacing the smoke that wafted around his head. The source of the smoke seemed to be a burning dog treat in his mouth.  
      
  
The trip to Snowdin seemed to fly by. Soon they were standing in front of a large two-story house with Christmas lights clumsily strewn from the roof and side balcony. Sans wrestled with his coat pocket for the key as Frisk took in the scenery around them. They could see a mid-sized pine tree in the town's square, lit up and decorated for the holidays. Well-wrapped gift boxes sat beneath it in the snow. Sans finally opened the door to the house and the three of them entered.  
      
  
"All right Frisk," Papyrus began, "I'll put you down on the couch and you can wait there while I-" Frisk clung to his scarf and shirt as he bent down toward the couch. They didn't want to let go. Something about letting go of him made them feel like they'd be letting him slip away forever. They looked at each other with worried expressions. Suddenly the cheerful stock music of a public television show rang out from across the room.  
      
  
"Look at that, Mettaton is on," Sans pointed out. "Why don't you two watch that for a bit? I'm gonna go buy some stuff for dinner."  
      
  
"Spaghetti?!" Frisk shouted, then pursed their lips together. They could feel their face heat up in embarrassment. Sans gave a simple thumbs up and with that, he exited the house.  
      
  
"Wowie, I love this show!" Papyrus declared as he sat down on the couch, still holding Frisk. Knowing he wasn't going anywhere, they relaxed and repositioned themself next to him, then removed their boots. They didn't even pay attention to the show as they leaned up against Papyrus and closed their eyes.  
      
  
The sound of the front door opening jolted them awake. They rubbed their eyes and saw Sans walk in with a much taller, bluer woman with striking red hair and fanned out fins where human ears would have been complaining about the snow. Sans made his way to the kitchen with two plastic grocery bags while the blue woman stopped and pointed at Papyrus, grinning with huge, pointed teeth.  
      
  
"Ha!" the woman jeered. "I knew it, Papyrus! You wouldn't be able to recognize a human if one curled up in your lap and took a nap!" Frisk felt their face grow hot again.  
      
  
"Undyne what are you talking abou-" Papyrus started. Then he realized. "Oh. My. God." He looked at Frisk, who was still covering their face in embarrassment after getting cozy with the skeleton. "Does this mean we have to capture them for His Majesty?"  
      
  
"Let's slow down for a minute," Undyne prompted. "Alphys told me we should hold off an any capturing for now, at least until she sees them personally."  
      
  
"Why does Alphys want to see the human?" Sans accused.  
      
  
"She said it was just a feeling," Undyne groaned and shrugged off the question. "Anywho, make us some dinner, Paps, I'm hungry!" She flopped herself on the couch, letting her hair flow like a red waterfall over one of the arms. Frisk jumped to their feet.  
      
  
(I'm gonna help), they signed.  
      
  
"No way kid," Sans protested. "The kitchen is small, and Papyrus can get pretty fired up sometimes. We wouldn't want you to have an accident." Frisk puffed their cheeks out and sat back down on the couch, arms crossed. Sans pulled several decks of playing cards off the television stand and suggested that they play while Papyrus was cooking. The other two reluctantly agreed, while he was already dealing out cards. Each of them must have had more than twenty cards in their hands by the time the game started.  
      
  
The night continued mostly without incident. Undyne nearly flipped the table after playing a bad bluff, but Papyrus rang the dinner bell before she completely lost it. The three monsters told average stories over dinner, and Frisk listened pleasantly. They were glad to be experiencing this kind of stable gathering for the first time. On the surface there was always someone trying to get a rise out of someone else. However, everyone down here was laughing and enjoying each others company. Soon it was decided that Undyne would stay the night. She excused herself momentarily to call Alphys and let her know her plans. Sans nudged Frisk.  
      
  
"We gotta clean up since Pap cooked for us." He picked up two plates and headed toward the kitchen. Frisk grabbed the other two and followed him quickly. The two of them washed the dishes and cookwares in relative silence, though Frisk could feel Sans' gaze on them the entire time. Why was he watching them so closely? What would the king do when he found out they were in the underground? They shook their head at the thought.  
      
  
_(It's fine)_ , they thought to themself. _(My friends will take care of me here. Everything will be fine)_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so, this whole thing was originally going to be a much shorter PapyFrisk fic (it isn't now though, it's much bigger and centered more around someone else). I didn't really make any kind of huge effort to change that aspect in this chapter because I figured it wasn't affecting the story too heavily. Papyrus is important. Protect Papyrus.


	3. Transient

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty short, sorry about that. The next two are very exciting and should make up for it though.

Frisk awoke in the middle of the night. They quietly wrestled their way out of the mass of blankets on the floor and stood up to stretch. Also entangled in the mass of blankets on the floor were Undyne and Papyrus. Undyne was sprawled across half of what was left of the fort they'd all made earlier. Papyrus was curled up around a couch cushion that made its way to the floor at some point earlier in the night. There was no sign of Sans, so he must have either been buried in the mess or went upstairs to his own room. Frisk tiptoed to the kitchen for a glass of water. They grabbed a small, plain glass from a cabinet and ran the tap to fill it. The water was icy cold, as expected since it was snowing outside. They set the half-empty glass on the counter and sighed.  
  
_**kill them...**_  
  
That voice again. Frisk grabbed their head. Why did this dreadful presence insist on tormenting them? They felt like they were going to be sick and grabbed the counter for support. _(Just breathe)_ , they thought, _(it'll go away)_.  
  
_**no...you...go away.**_  
  
Frisk could feel their hand reaching up the counter on its own. Carefully they unsheathed a large kitchen knife from its holder. They squeezed their eyes shut. What could their body do on its own without being able to see, right?  
  
_**kill them! do it now!!**_  
  
Frisk's eyes filled with tears as terror took hold of them. The sound of a front door quietly being shut caused them to open their eyes and spin toward the kitchen's entrance. Soon a figure came into view.  
  
"S-Sans...!" Frisk barely managed to squeak out. "H-help me..." His gaze immediately went to the knife in their trembling hand. His left eyesocket set itself ablaze with blue flame, and he lifted his hand in front of him, palm facing away from himself. Suddenly Frisk felt an incredible weight inside their entire body as if gravity had intensified tenfold. In place of Sans' usual grin were teeth gritted together in concentration and fear. He was focused on the knife they were holding.  
  
"Frisk," he whispered, "put the knife down." Frisk nodded. They tried to imagine all of the extra weight in their body migrating to their hand. They rested their hand on the countertop and unclenched the knife's handle. It almost seemed too easy. Suddenly they felt the mysterious extra weight lift from them, the shock sending them to their knees. Sans ran over and wrapped his arms around them tightly.  
  
"What the hell was that, Frisk?" They shook their head.  
  
"I don't know. I..." Frisk shook and clinged to his jacket. "I'm scared, Sans." The skeleton sighed.  
  
"Put your boots on kid," Sans whispered as he let go of them. He got to his feet and put the knife away in its holder. Frisk tiptoed to the front door and slipped on their boots, and Sans followed. Quietly, the two of them made their way outside and around the back of the house. Underneath a tarp covered in branches was a hidden door that looked like it hadn't been opened in at least ten years. Sans didn't bother with a key for the lock, using only blue flamelike magic to open the door. A staircase leading down to a brightly lit room with a tile floor lay before them. Frisk made their way down the stairs, Sans close behind them. Upon entering the room they noticed that it was mostly sterile, save for some blueprints in a strange language strewn across a counter, a notebook with a label in the same language, and a large sheet covering something in the corner. Curious, Frisk lifted the sheet.  
  
"It's broken," Sans told them while pulling up a couple of stools. "Have a seat over here, 'cause we've gotta talk." With mild reluctance Frisk obliged. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before he spoke again.  
  
"I'm not gonna beat around the bush this time. Do you know what a RESET is?" The question hit Frisk like a bullet. They grabbed their chest, a sudden torrent of memories overwhelming every one of their senses. Memories of death. Not just their own death, but everyone around them. Tears fell to the floor as they bent forward in shock. Sans leaned over from his seat and grabbed their shoulders. "How many times, Frisk?"

They shook their head.  
  
"I-I don't know. I only remember two, b-but I know there are more. Oh god..." Frisk shivered. "How long have I been doing this?"  
  
"That's not what matters right now," Sans asserted. "What matters is that now I know a little more about what's causing time to behave so...erratically." He swiveled around to the counter and ran his hand along the strange blueprints. Frisk wiped their tears away with their sleeve and sniffled.  
  
"What if I told you," he started, then took a deep breath, "that broken hunk of junk over there was a time machine?" Frisk stared at him in disbelief. "Really, kid? You singlehandedly reverse time with nothing but your own willpower, but you think I can't build a time machine? That's pretty rude." Frisk winced in confusion. They looked back over at the sheet covering the "hunk of junk" time machine, then back at Sans.  
  
"Why? To be honest, I'm not even sure anymore. It had something to do with getting all of us monsters out of the underground and back to the surface. At least I think it did. Anyway, I'm not gonna bore you with such a long story. I don't remember most of it anyway." He slid off his stool and tucked it halfway under the countertop. Frisk thought about what he said. A time machine. Why in the world would someone like Sans need such a thing?  
  
"The flower," they mumbled. "T-that flower with the face!"  
  
"What are you getting at?" Sans inquired.  
  
"The flower is the one that RESET! It wants to destroy the world! B-but as long as I'm here I don't think it can use it's powers!"  
  
"Look, Frisk, I think you and I are both really tired right now. We should call it a night," the skeleton yawned.  
  
"You d-don't believe me," Frisk faltered.  
  
"We can discuss it tomorrow. Besides, you just said it doesn't have any power so long as you're around, right?" They nodded. "Get some sleep kid."  
  
The two of them left the bright room, walking through the snow and back through the front door. Sans flopped onto the beanbag next to the couch he'd been on earlier and covered his face with a throw blanket without a word. Frisk burrowed themself under the mess of blankets and cushions of the fort, cozying up to Papyrus' back. The room was mostly silent, save for their own breathing. Cutting through the stillness, however, was Sans' raw presence. Even though his face was covered, he was watching them. Waiting. But what exactly was he waiting for?


	4. I'll Be Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk finally meets the voice that's been tormenting them face to face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small warning for some referenced self-harm toward the end.  
> Today we get to meet mettaton and alphys! Unfortunately for you mtt brand fans out there, he doesn't have much of a spotlight. I want to reiterate that this is still 10 years in the future. Metta has a more completed look, and alphys and undyne are already a couple.

Frisk was standing in a patch of golden flowers. They all seemed normal enough, except for one. One flower was taller than the rest and faced away from them. Frisk waded through the the rest of the flowers toward the flower, but as they moved it only seemed to get further away. Soon they were running toward it, reaching out for it, silently calling its name. The ground began to crumble beneath them, and Frisk was pushing off the falling pieces still trying to reach the flower. As the soil completely gave way beneath them, the flower turned around to face them. Its face was melting and distorted.  
  
_**in this world, it's kill or be killed**_  
  
_"Oh no, did you fall? Are you hurt? ........? That's a nice name. My name is..."_  
  
Frisk shot up and looked around. Nobody was there. In fact, nothing was there at all. Everything was just black. An eerie feeling filled the void. Frisk lifted their hands to rub their eyes to see that they were covered in white powder. They shook their head. More dust. The dust kept falling off, forming piles around them.  
  
"Why do you keep coming back?" a voice inquired. Following the voice, a child no more than twelve or thirteen years old appeared facing away from them. Their reddish-brown hair cut perfectly straight stood out against their faded green sweater. When they turned around to face Frisk they could see they were holding a dagger. Carved into the handle was a single golden flower. The child swiftly made their way over to Frisk and kneeled down in front of them.  
  
"I've come so close so many times," they pouted. "When are you finally gonna give into it? The bloodlust." The child leaned in closer to Frisk and lowered their voice to a whisper. "Let me kill them all again." Frisk scrambled away from the child, who was now bearing a twisted grin and giggling to themself.  
  
"I won't let you touch them!" they cried out. It only made the child laugh harder. They phased back to Frisk, their piercing red eyes only inches from their own, still smiling.  
  
"You can talk tough all you want, but that's my body you're inhabiting. Soon, you won't have a choice."  
  
Frisk awoke with a massive jolt throughout their body. They grabbed their chest and tried to breathe, but the pain was too intense to concentrate. Rolling over to their hands and knees, they looked around the room. Papyrus and Undyne could be heard from the kitchen. Sans was sleeping on the bean bag, blanket still over his face from before. Frisk reached out and desperately grabbed onto the edge of his shirt sleeve.  
  
Sans jumped nearly three feet in the air, his eye alight with blue magic. He caught himself when he saw Frisk and lightly fell back down to the floor, putting his hands on their shoulders. They were still hyperventilating and clutching their chest tightly.  
  
"Frisk, what's happening? Tell me what's wrong," he whispered. A noticeable sense of panic resonated in his voice. When they couldn't answer he shook them a little. Frisk whimpered, moving their lips trying to say anything, but no words would come. Sans sighed. Loosening his grip, he closed his eyes and used his magic to create his own breathing motions. He slowly brought himself closer to Frisk, never letting go of their arms. Slowly, their own breathing began to match his, and they calmed down. The pain slowly disappated.

  
  
**Soon you won't have a choice.**

  
      
The words echoed in Frisk's mind. Who in the world was that kid? They felt like they had met them before. No. Not only met them. They felt like they had known them their entire life.  
  
"Oh good, you two are awake!" Papyrus cheered. He came into the living room and quickly began picking up pillows and folding blankets that were on the floor. "You also seem pretty friendly with each other this morning. What's with that?" Sans quickly released his grip on Frisk's arms.  
  
"Ah, it's nothing bro. Frisk just had a little episode."  
  
"Episode of what?"  
  
"We'll talk about it later, Papyrus," Sans asserted. The taller skeleton shrugged and carried the blankets back to the closet upstairs. A knock on the door spooked a small gasp out of Frisk. Sans didn't even make an effort to get up as the door swung open and a very tall man in an oversized pink sweater strutted inside. He was holding a chubby girl covered in yellow scales by the collar of her coat in the air with one hand.  
  
"P-please put me d-down Mettaton!" the girl stammered.  
  
"Special delivery, darling!" he called out in a deep, metallic voice. Excited squealing rang out from the kitchen followed by Undyne skipping into the room. She stopped in front of him and held both her arms, ready for deployment. Mettaton released his grip on the girl, and Undyne effortlessly caught her in her arms and brought her close.  
  
Frisk stared up at Mettaton. Upon closer inspection, he appeared to be made mostly of metal. His silver face was framed perfectly by his black hair parted down the middle. His bright magenta eyes seemed surprisingly realistic, yet still befitting of the rest of him. When he caught them staring he looked them up and down, then reached over to touch their hair. Frisk recoiled in confusion. Of all the monsters they had come to remember so far he was the least recognizable. It wasn't that they didn't remember him at all, but their memories of him weren't very clear or pleasant. His appearance was also quite different from what they could recall.  
  
"Oh I'm sorry, darling," he apologized. "I just couldn't help but notice your hair looks a little," the metal man paused for a moment and raised a brow, "off."  
  
"Okay everyone!" Papyrus shouted. "I hope you're all ready for this wonderful breakfast feast prepared by the Great Papyrus!" He twirled out of the kitchen with several plates balanced on his arms and even one on top of his skull. With little effort he managed to place them all on the table. Frisk marvelled at all the of dishes. There were pancakes, biscuits, eggs, fruit -- it was like a buffet. When they thought about it they realized that between the six of them, especially with Undyne, all of that food would certainly be devoured. Papyrus rushed about, finishing the whole setup.  
  
"I didn't even know we had this many chairs," Sans muttered in surprise.  
  
"I've always planned to have lots of friends over for a feast, so of course I went out and purchased lots of chairs!" Papyrus declared, sticking out his chest in pride.  
  
"Well I guess this breakfast get-together will be one to chair-ish for years to come," Sans cracked with a casual smile.  
  
"SANS! I can't believe you just said that so shamelessly." The crowd laughed much to Papyrus' chagrin, and they all took their seats at the table to begin serving themselves. As Frisk reached for a biscuit, they felt their arm weaken. The world around them began to blur and spin.  
  
_(No)_ , Frisk thought. _(Not now; Why now?)_ Everyone was busy eating, laughing, enjoying themselves, and Frisk was losing control of their body again. Everything seemed dark and far away; they couldn't understand what anybody was saying anymore. It felt as if their head was wrapped in a hundred cotton sheets. A feeling of dread hung over them. If they didn't act, something bad would happen for sure. _(Not again)_ , Frisk thought. _(Not this time.)_ They did the only thing that they could think of: They brought their teeth down on their own tongue. Hard.  
  
" ** _DAMMIT!_** " they screamed, pounding their fists on the table. They shot up from their seat and stomped toward the kitchen. Frisk was just as much a witness to their actions as everyone else, despite it being their own body. They still had no control, but somebody else did.  
  
"Hey now," Mettaton interjected. His arm extended out from his body, increasing in length until blocked their path. They brutally slapped at his arm, filled with rage.  
  
"Don't touch me you sassy fax machine!"  
  
"Well that's rude," the robot pouted, "but we all know Alphys made me no less than perfect. You, on the other hand, should consider getting a haircut and maybe then-"  
  
"ENOUGH!" Undyne roared as she restrained them from behind by grabbing them under their arms. They felt the weight of their own body overpowering it's desire to struggle. Sans was making sure to maintain control of the situation. He hurried toward them and grabbed the collar of Frisk's sweater. As he did so, they could feel themself regaining control of their own body once more.  
  
"What are you doing, Frisk?!" he rasped. Tears filled their eyes as he stared them down. He immediately let go as he saw this, also prompting Undyne to release them. As soon as they were free, Frisk burst past the two of them toward the door. They didn't even zip their boots before running out of the house and into the snow, and they ignored Sans calling after them. They didn't know where to go, only to go far away from the small town.

  
  
Frisk finally stopped running and fell to their knees in the snow, breathing heavily. They grabbed their head and let out a silent scream that burned their throat. They felt like they were going crazy. _(Why are you doing this to me?)_ they silently asked.  
  
_I could ask you the same thing_ , a small voice responded from within. _That's my body. You don't belong here._  
  
_(No way)_ , Frisk thought. _(There's no way I can believe that!)_  
  
_Well believe it, because that's the truth. You're not even real. You're fake, a phony, a human named Frisk doesn't exist in this world!_ The voice was furious with them. _Just disappear already!_  
  
"Frisk!" They heard Papyrus' voice calling them from the distance.  
  
_Dammit,_ the voice scoffed. Frisk could feel their head throbbing as they began to lose control of their body again. _Why don't you let me take care of him? He's an easy target you know. Remember how simple it was before? He welcomed us with open arms even after we killed so many already. He spared a murderer so easily, and welcomed his own demise!_ The voice began to laugh hysterically. _Even then he said he still believed in me! What a joke! What a loser!_ The voice, though still laughing...sounded like they might be crying?  
  
"A-ha! There you are!" Frisk spun around to see Papyrus standing right behind them. "You're shaking; you must be cold!" He took off his scarf and kneeled down to wrap it around them. They grabbed it and brought it close to their face.  
  
"What made you run off like that? You really made me worry!"  
  
"I-I'm afraid," Frisk admitted. "I'm afraid that I might hurt you."  
  
"Hurt me? Nonsense! The Great Papyrus is fit to be a Royal Guardsman, so there's no way-"  
  
"You saw what happened in there," they cut him off. "I'm a d-dangerous person. I shouldn't be allowed near you." Papyrus sighed.  
  
"No you're not," he insisted. "I believe in you, Frisk. I believe you're a good person. Even the side of you that you think isn't so good can change. You could kill me with your own two hands and I'd still believe you have the power to change."  
  
_"DON'T SAY THAT!"_ Frisk exploded. "What if it really happens?! What if I-" they were choking on their tears. "If I let you die again I don't think I could-" Papyrus held them in his arms and rested his head on top of their own to comfort them.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered. "I promise I'll never leave you alone, Chara."  
  
"What?" Frisk shook their head and looked at the skeleton. "Chara?"  
  
"Oops, I mean Frisk! Wowie, this is awkward! I have no idea where that other name came from! Especially when Sans was so serious telling us to always use your name, Frisk!" As he laughed nervously, they couldn't help but wonder about that name. Chara. They felt like they had heard it somewhere before. Like someone close to them that they knew in the past.  
  
"Well, we should be going back. I'm sure everyone is worried about you." Frisk clung to Papyrus' sweater and brought themself close.  
  
"N-not yet," they argued. "Can we stay here a little longer, p-please?" Papyrus hugged them once more.  
  
"Of course, Frisk," he reassured them. "As long as you're not too cold. I'll at least text the others to tell them I found you. Let me know when you're ready for us to go home."  
  
Upon returning to the skeleton household, Frisk and Papyrus were greeted by faces and sighs of relief.  
  
"You guys were gone for s-so long! I was really worried!" Alphys stuttered.  
  
"I'm glad Paps found you, kid, since Sans McLazybones over there gave up after about twenty minutes," Undyne pointed over her shoulder to the couch. Sans shrugged in response.  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't f-feel," Frisk grabbed their head. "Can I just go upstairs?" Papyrus put a hand on their back and led them past everyone and up to his room. Frisk sat on his bed and put their face in their hands, breathing deeply. Before long there was a knock on the door, and it opened to reveal Alphys awkwardly waving.  
  
"H-hey guys," she stuttered, "I have to get b-back to the lab today, s-so is it okay if I talked to Frisk?"  
  
"Is it all right if I leave you alone with Alphys for a while?" Papyrus asked. Frisk nodded. As he shut the door behind him, the scientist shuffled over to them. She stood in front of them awkwardly twiddling her thumbs, avoiding eye contact as if desperately searching for the right thing to say.  
  
"S-so I guess we can confirm what's happening with these timelines is related to you," she blurted. "N-not that it's your fault or anything! I mean, unless it is, in which case, uh," her words trailed off.  
  
"Alphys," Frisk interrupted. "It is my fault. I'm the one resetting the timelines." Alphys took a moment to look them in the eyes, then she sighed.  
  
"You know that means that I have to take you to Asgore." They nodded. "I'm honestly shocked that you're ready for something like that. Aren't you scared?" Frisk nodded again, running their fingers through their hair.  
  
"I-I just want," they gulped, "j-just one more night here." Alphys looked down at her feet with a sad smile.  
  
"I understand. You want time to say goodbye to everyone," she sympathized.  
  
"Also," Frisk said, "I want you to take my picture."  
  
"What?"  
  
"S-so you guys can remember me. Please?" they requested. Alphys reached into her pocket and pulled out her smartphone. As she prepared to snap the photo she made a peace sign with her free hand. Frisk imitated the pose.  
  
"Say 'cheese'," she instructed.  
  
"Cheese!" The two of them giggled.  
  
"Ah, it came out really nice." Frisk bounced up from Papyrus' bed to see the picture of themself. They grinned at the sight of their own smile on screen.  
  
"Let's print it," they insisted.  
  
"All right," Alphys agreed, already connecting her phone to the printer. "L-looks like this thing only prints in black and white, though."  
  
"That's fine," Frisk said while situating themself at Papyrus' computer desk. They awoke the machine from its sleep and opened a new word document.  
  
"What's that?" Alphys inquired.  
  
"It's," they paused for a moment, "it's easier than t-talking about it." The scientist stared over from the side as Frisk began to type:

* * *

  
Ten years ago, I woke up on Mt. Ebott. I had no idea where or who I was. All alone, I was afraid, so I ran toward the sound of the highway. When someone found me, they took me to the police. They found my name, Frisk, written on the tag in my sweater, but they couldn't find my family. Everything after that happened so fast. It wasn't long before they placed me in a home.  
  
Then I got sick. For years I was in so much pain that I could barely move my body. I was treated like a burden by my surrogate parents. The other kids could play outside in the sunshine, but I was lucky just to have a day where it didn't hurt to stand on my own two feet. At first I was angry. I blamed whoever my real parents were for abandoning me. I cursed them every day. However, eventually I realized that there was no point. My real parents were certainly dead...  
  
...so I gave up. I didn't want to live anymore. I began to hurt myself physically. As I rejected myself, whatever was causing my other pain began to disappear. The more harm I inflicted upon myself, the better I felt. Eventually I was well enough to attend school, but it made no impact on my daily life. I was empty inside. Hurting myself had already become routine. All I could do was exist in a silent world of pain. When I couldn't take it anymore, I decided to return to Mt. Ebott. As soon as I fell, I knew. This is where I belonged all along. I have a purpose. I want to make everyone here happy.  
  
No matter the cost.

* * *

  
"I-I don't know w-what to say," Alphys choked.  
  
"It doesn't matter," Frisk shook their head. "It's over now." They saved the document and hit the print button, then stood up and took the photo of themself off the tray. With a permanent marker they wrote on the photo:  
  
My name is Frisk. Please don't forget me.  
  
Then they gathered the photo and their printed monologue and compiled them into a yellow envelope. On the envelope they wrote, "Only open in case of emergency." Frisk sealed off the envelope and handed it to Alphys.  
  
"Please tell Sans to put this somewhere safe." they requested. She nodded with slight hesitation.  
  
"I will," she promised, "and I'll be here tomorrow morning to pick you up, okay?" Frisk forced a painful smile.  
  
"Yeah," they muttered. "I'll be here. I'm sorry I-I'm really tired."  
  
"O-okay! I'll leave you alone now s-so you can take a nap, a-and I'll make sure to give this to Sans r-right now!" Alphys stuttered as she hurredly left the room. As soon as she was gone, Frisk grabbed their head and collapsed on Papyrus' bed. They breathed deeply as they slipped into a warm, dark slumber.


	5. The Lost Human

"Here you go, kid," Sans handed Frisk a warm mug filled with hot chocolate. They were sitting in his lab late at night after Papyrus had gone to bed. "It's the good stuff, too. It's got those tiny marshmallows in it." Both of them stared down at their drinks for a bit before Frisk took a sip. They smiled at the pleasant sweetness.  
  
"You don't have to do this, Frisk," Sans sighed.  
  
"I'm the last one. Once I give Asgore my soul, everyone can go free," they said leaning further over the counter. Their shoulders shook as silent tears fell from their eyes. Sans put his hand on their back.  
  
"Frisk," Sans trembled, "please think about this. We have time. You can still live your life." Frisk shook their head.  
  
"I can't," they sobbed, throwing their face into their arms on the countertop. Sans rubbed their back in an attempt to comfort them. As Frisk sobbed more, the outside world became darker to them, fading into silence. Their sobs turned to gasps, the gasps into a fit of hyperventilation. They grabbed their chest and fell off the stool, hitting the floor on their side.  
  
"Frisk!" Sans cried as he jumped down to help them to their knees. He threw his arms around them and held them tightly. "Don't force yourself to do this, you still have time!" Suddenly, their breathing restabilized. The two of them sat on the floor in near dead silence, Sans still clinging to them.  
  
"Heh," a tiny, hoarse laugh broke cut through the silent room like a blade.  
  
"Frisk?"  
  
"Who's Frisk?"  
  
"...Chara?" Sans gulped.  
  
"Surprise!" Chara shouted, bursting with laughter. They grabbed their sides as they threw their head back. Sans hastily backed away from them and rose to his feet.  
  
"What did you do to Frisk?" he demanded. Chara stopped laughing and rubbed their head as they stood up.  
  
"Frisk, Frisk, Frisk," they sighed. "I am so _sick_ of hearing that name!!" they screamed as they tore through one of the drawers below the counter. When they found what they were looking for, they grabbed it and backed up toward the far wall of the lab. Scissors in hand, they grabbed their long hair to one side and hacked away at it.  
  
_"It's me, Chara,"_ they declared throwing the hair to the ground. "We're going to play a little game, Sans." They stared the skeleton up and down as they balanced the half-open scissors by the handle on their finger. A lock of hair they had missed cutting off draped over their shoulder as they cocked their head to the side, grinning at his discomfort.  
  
"What are you after, Chara?" he questioned.  
  
"You see, Sans, this body has had far too much time to get used to some false identity, not to mention how weak it is. It's almost as weak as you are. It's quite saddening, really," they complained.  
  
"So you wanna RESET, but why?"  
  
"See? I knew an intelligent man of science like yourself would figure it out. I'm going to RESET, and you're going to help me," they ordered.  
  
"Heh, I don't think so, kid," Sans argued. "You're going to give Frisk back, and then you're going to go back down six feet under where you belong."  
  
"It's not nice to give your date the cold shoulder, Sansy," Chara pouted. "All right then, here's another proposition for you: You're going to kill me so that I can RESET this timeline, or," they held the scissors to their own neck, "I'll destroy your precious 'Frisk' right before your eyes." They smiled as his expression filled with rage.  
  
"Go to Hell," Sans growled. He phased to the side as Chara chucked the scissors at him. They ran back to the open drawer and grabbed a small knife. As they prepared to run at him they were thrown to the wall by an invisible force. Sans held his hand in front of him, palm outward, and his eye was ablaze with blue flames. Chara could feel the pressure of his anger against them.  
  
"So you will help me then," they teased in a sing-song voice. He gasped as he released his grip on their soul. They sat against the wall and smiled at him, awaiting his response.  
  
"You know I won't, kid," Sans sighed, "but I can't leave you alone, either. Let's just try to figure something out, okay?" Chara lowered their head and twirled their remaining long lock of hair. Simply arguing with this man was futile, and this body was incredibly too weak to prolong a physical altercation.  
  
"Yeah, I guess," they grumbled. They got back to their feet and paced back to the counter, setting the knife down in exchange for the mug of hot chocolate. The drink was still surprisingly warm.  
  
"Alphys should still be awake at this hour. You want me to call her? Tell her it's an emergency?"  
  
"Yeah, go ahead," they mumbled. As he turned around they quietly set down the mug and reached for the knife once more.  
  
"Are you sure you want me to call Alphys first, or should I call your--" Sans was cut off as Chara lunged at him with the knife. The blade stopped less than an inch from his face as several bones propelled upward from the floor, stopping them in their tracks. They dropped the knife as they watched his face distort from his usual fake grin into an expression of absolute terror and despair.  
  
"N-no," he whispered. Chara tried to say something, but instead they could only cough. If they had been able to, they would have laughed at how pathetic he looked with their blood splattered on his face. Blood poured out of their mouth as they tried to inhale with gurgling gasps. His attack had run them through in over a dozen places.  
  
"No, no, _NO!"_ he screamed, retracting the bones from their body. He fell to his knees and held their bleeding, mangled form in his arms.

"Not this, oh god, not this, _please,"_ they heard him sobbing.

 _"Chara! Frisk! One of you please answer me!"_ he begged. A weak, bloody hand reached for his face. He held the hand in his own and gazed down at the dying human, pleading with his eyes.

  
  
"I'll see you in Hell, Smiley Trashbag," Chara smirked.

**[RESET]**

* * *

** **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is what happens when you change the story of a one-shot shipfic into something much more interesting. This story has only just begun. More to come soon, so please look forward to it!


End file.
